Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween is said to have its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day. Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half". Traditionally celebrated over the course of several days, many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year.

In part 1 of the hennemusic Halloween festival, we opened with tunes from Marilyn Manson, Helloween, Nekromantix, Godsmack, Concrete Blonde and Oingo Boingo.

Halloween is said to have its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day. Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half". Traditionally celebrated over the course of several days, many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year.

In part 1 of the hennemusic Halloween festival, we open with tunes from Marilyn Manson, Helloween, Nekromantix, Godsmack, Concrete Blonde and Oingo Boingo.

Can you even have Halloween without rock’s original monster, Alice Cooper?

Alice Cooper - Halloween PSA (2010)

Tonight, Alice brings his “Halloween Night Of Fear” to London’s Roundhouse, with special guests The Jim Rose Circus, plus Zodiac Mindwarp And The Love Reaction.

U.S. fans who can’t make it to London can enjoy Alice all day from the comfort of their couch, as he hosts the “Monstrous Munster Mash” on WGN-TV, running Sunday October 31 (a/k/a Halloween) from 10 AM - 7 PM ET.

Alice will introduce and provide commentary for 18 episodes of the 1960s series that presented a family of monsters as equivalent to the average neighbors next door.

And so it went Saturday in Washington, at the Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert"Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear."

More than 200,000 people attended the rally, held on the steps on the Capital building; the event was timed to motivate US voters to consider their choices before the mid-term elections take place on Tuesday, a day expected to see the Democrats lose Congress seats to the new Tea Party.

The setup for all this came when Stewart initially announced his "Rally To Restore Sanity,” which was followed by Colbert’s announcement for a “Rally To Restore Fear.” The two events were scheduled to take place in the same city on the same day, a skilled promotion to build interest in both while the Comedy Central hosts played off each other in the weeks leading up to it.

Following his appearance, Ozzy flew to a gig in New Orleans Saturday night.

Kid Rock was on hand to play “Care,” a song from his new disc, “Born Free,” due November 16; the album version features Martina McBride and rapper T.I. – Sheryl Crow covered McBride’s part in Washington…

hennemusic’s weekend series of specials continues this month with some highlights from Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit concerts.

Founded in 1986 by Pegi Young and Jim Forderer, with help from Dr. Marilyn Buzolich, the Bridge School develops and uses advanced technologies to aid in the instruction of children with disabilities. Young's involvement stems, at least partially, from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy.

The first benefit concert, in 1986, raised the money necessary to start the school, which opened in ’87.

The annual event takes place each October; the 24th Annual concert happened last weekend.

In 1993, Van Halen released their first (and, to date, only) live record (“Live: Right Here, Right Now”), and hit the road to support the double-album. The trek kicked off in March with a month of long-overdue European shows, before an eight-week North American tour, which wrapped at the end of August.Sammy Hagar had appeared at the Bridge School benefit shows in ’89 and ’92, but when he came out to support the event in ’93, he brought someone with him: Eddie Van Halen.

With the customary opening set by Young, and then ones by Melissa Etheridge, Warren Zevon and Heart’s Wilson sisters (Ann and Nancy), Hagar came out to kick things off with a solo performance of “The Love.”

Hagar then introduced Van Halen, saying, “If I can con this guy into doing this, man, I can con him into doing anything,” as Eddie set up at a black grand piano.

“Love Walks In,” and the mega-hit, “Right Now,” followed, with strong piano work by Eddie, as Hagar’s voiced soared into the night air. Van Halen then pulled out a black Parker Fly guitar, playing the instrumental “Spanish Fly” from VHII, before the pair rocked out with an acoustic version of “Best Of Both Worlds,”

The all-too short set was over, one that was as close to a Van Halen “unplugged” session as anyone had ever seen – and one that hasn’t really been repeated since.

But the guys weren’t done for the night: Eddie appeared with headliners Simon & Garfunkel for “The Sound Of Silence,” adding solos throughout the track, with a positively glowing Paul Simon looking on.

Folowing S&G’s set, Young brought the whole lineup out for the night’s closing track, “Rockin’ In The Free World,” with Sammy helping out on vocals while Eddie traded solos with Neil.

If video of the full set exists, it hasn’t surfaced, so I’ve snagged the audio versions of what does, for you to check out. While it is incomplete, it’s of historical value, so I wanted to share the material here. There is one video, however, and it’s Eddie with S&G – while it’s not the best visual quality, keep an eye out for Simon’s facial expressions while watching/hearing Eddie solo…

Brother Ray has been talking up the idea of a possible Kinks reunion recently while doing press for his new release, “See My Friends,” a collaborative tribute with other artists to the brothers’ legendary band, which comes out next week.

Ray recently told Gigwise that he thinks his brother is “coming around” to the idea of a possible Kinks reunion (see “Is a Kinks reunion in the cards?” here).

Dave set the record straight with London’s Daily Mail – there will never be a reunion. "I think the music is so beautiful it shouldn’t be tainted," he says. "It would be a shame. You don’t need to see silly old men in wheelchairs singing ‘You Really Got Me.’”

Famous for their on- and off-stage fights, the brothers rarely see each other. This week, when asked how his brother was, Ray replied to the Daily Mail: “Don’t know, don’t talk to him. Dave’s a very proud man. I don’t know what his problem is apart from pride.”

It’s been a long time since Dave last saw his brother in person. “You’ve heard of vampires," says Dave. ‘Well, Ray sucks me dry of ideas, emotions and creativity. It’s toxic for me to be with him. He’s a control freak. I hate to say it, but it’s got worse since he met the Queen (Ray received a CBE in 2004). In his mind, it’s given him more validity, more ‘I’m better than you,’ more ‘I’m superior.’ With him, it’s ‘me, me, me.’ He thinks he is The Kinks.”

While Ray seems to thrive on attention, Dave is happy to be a team player and spread the credit around. “When I think of all the beautiful music we made, it wouldn’t have been the same if I, or (Kinks bassist) Pete Quaife hadn’t been there,” he said.

The latest ‘excuse’ for the brothers to feud came earlier this year, when Ray wanted Dave to perform at a memorial for Quaife, who died in June, telling Dave “Even the Mafia get together and make up when someone dies. If only for the funeral.”

Dave refused. “Ray wanting me to come back into the fold is to make him look good. He had an album coming out,” he says. “He’s cancelled the memorial, which again will be my fault. But after Pete died, I had my own private service for him on my website. I asked Elizabeth, Pete’s girlfriend, and his brother David to join me in sending Pete our love and they were happy to. I wrote a few prayers and made my peace with Pete. I wasn’t going to get involved in using Pete as a PR exercise to bolster Ray’s vanity.”

Dave lowers his voice. “We must be careful. We might be feeding Ray’s illness by making him think he’s more interesting than he is.”

“I should have listened to my mum," continues Dave. “Three weeks before she died in the Eighties, she said to me: ‘Make sure you get something for yourself because your brother’s never going to help you.’ I was thinking: ‘We’re family. We look after each other.’ But I don’t think that now. You need to support yourself.”

In 2004, Dave suffered a serious stroke that left him unable to speak, and it has been a long road to recovery. Didn’t Ray support him through that period? “I’m undecided whether he was pleased I was ill, or jealous I was getting the attention,” says Dave. “I stayed at his house afterwards. I was ill in bed and could barely move, but he started saying: ‘I’m sick, I’m sick!’ He was screaming in pain from his stomach. A doctor from Harley Street came round at 3am and said: 'There’s nothing wrong with his stomach.' He just wanted attention.”

Dave concedes that while the brothers worked creatively together, sibling rivalry was simmering away under the surface. “I think Ray has been happy for only three years in his life,” he says. “And those were the three years before I was born.”

The last time The Kinks appeared together was in 1996, shortly after Ray had announced his decision to go solo. Dave says the split was a relief. "I didn’t care. I really didn’t. The last time we were all together was at my 50th birthday party. Ray had the money and I didn’t, so he offered to throw it for me. Just as I was about to cut the cake, Ray jumped on the table and made a speech about how wonderful he was. He then stamped on the cake.”

hennemusic’s weekend series of specials continues this month with some highlights from Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit concerts.

Founded in 1986 by Pegi Young and Jim Forderer, with help from Dr. Marilyn Buzolich, the Bridge School develops and uses advanced technologies to aid in the instruction of children with disabilities. Young's involvement stems, at least partially, from the fact that both of his sons have cerebral palsy and his daughter, like Young himself, has epilepsy.

The first benefit concert, in 1986, raised the money necessary to start the school, which opened in ’87. The annual event takes place each October; the 24th Annual concert happened last weekend.

David Bowie went “Outside” in 1995, reuniting with producer Brian Eno for an industrial-sounding album that led to a co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails.

Live shows started in the fall of ’95 and carried through the first couple of months of ’96, this time with Morrissey opening; in the middle of the tour, Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 17, 1996. He later did the “Outside Summer Festivals Tour,” which was a two-month summer European festival trek that wrapped up with a final show in Switzerland in late July.

In September 1996, Bowie took a scaled-down version of his touring band – now consisting of Reeves Gabrels (guitars,vocals, and synthesizers), Zachory Alford (drums and electronic percussion), Mike Garson (piano and keyboards), and Gail Ann Dorsey (bass and vocals) into the Looking Glass studios in New York City to record the follow-up to “Outside,” for release the next year (the resulting album would be “Earthling” – led by the single, “I’m Afraid Of Americans.”)

The following month, Bowie, Gabrels and Dorsey played both Bridge School benefit shows, with Bowie enthusiastically telling the crowd, “We’re having a ball…we haven’t done an acoustic gig, ever” (Tom Petty made a similar comment at the inaugural BSB show in ’86; you can check out his performances here: part 1 and part 2).

The setlists for the shows varied slightly; since neither complete 7-song set is available online in video form, I’ve pulled together a bit of a ‘combo set’ featuring tracks from the two performances. A couple of songs aren’t available to be shared, so I’ve included links so you can check them out directly.

Friday, October 29, 2010

There are TONS of cool music apps for your favorite artists – from “official” to trivia to audio, and more - some are even FREE.

There are some cool tour-related apps – for bands like Metallica, U2, Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews – that can keep you “in the know” about the latest live concert news, including setlists. And when you’re at a show, whip out your “virtual concert lighter” for maximum effect.

"Axl and I just happened to be in hotel rooms next to each other. Unexpected? Oh, f**k yes."- Duff McKagan

It’s been two weeks since Duff McKagan “fluked” into a friendly meeting with former bandmate Axl Rose, only hours before joining Guns N’ Roses on stage at London’s 02 Arena.

McKagan has only talked to the media about his London experience once (see “Guns N' Roses: Duff McKagan discusses his London experience"here), preferring to keep his personal relationships just that – private.

Looks like Duff has had time to reflect further on things, choosing to write about it in the latest edition of his regular column at Seattle Weekly; by the tone of his comments, it may be the last we’ll hear about it from the former GNR bassist.

“Life can throw curveballs at us when we are least prepared,” writes McKagan. “So many odd circumstances have befallen me over the years that I've come to almost expect the unexpected these days.

Two weeks ago, I flew off to London for a week's worth of non-music-related business. Mere hours after landing at Heathrow I found myself onstage with a friend that I have been to hell and back with, and lived to tell the tale. Axl and I just happened to be in hotel rooms next to each other. Unexpected? Oh, f**k yes.

Sometimes, though, it takes a serendipitous moment like this to put some important things into perspective. I for one was glad we were sort of thrown into meeting. I hope he was, too, for the sake of the pounds of flesh that we shed in the struggle and fray.

Mostly we laughed, and that was indeed great.

That same night, I found myself onstage playing "Patience" in front of 14,000 people at the 02 Arena. To put it lightly, this is not what I had expected when I boarded my flight the night before for my business trip. Crazy s**t.

This chance meeting gave me pause for thought and reflection. Many of you have asked me to write about this gig and our meeting. Other magazines and whatnot have tried to contact me for a "statement." Really? A STATEMENT? I'll state this: Trust is built on foundations of granite. Trust is not built when a late-breaking story can prompt you to gossip.

I did an interview for our local rock station, KISW, about a week after the gig. They have started to play a new Loaded song in preparation for our halftime performance at the Nov. 7 Seahawks game as part of Veterans Appreciation Day. The song, "Fight On," was written by Loaded as a nod to our fallen and fighting young men and women. I was doing promo for the gig and the song (profits from the download will go to our Puget Sound VA HealthCare System). The conversation on BJ Shea's "Morning Show" naturally took a turn from "Fight On" to my participation onstage with Axl. I've been on BJ's show enough times to know that they wouldn't ask me anything dumb or be otherwise rude or untoward. They let me say my piece, and that was it.

I hope you all understand, and thanks for reading.”

To read some cool background on the song “Patience,” read Duff’s full column here.

Kid Rock has not exactly built his reputation on being shy, so when he sat down with Entertainment Weekly for an interview to be published next week, he didn’t pull any punches when asked about one of his musical heroes.

"I think it's the stupidest thing he's ever done in his life," Rock said, referring to the decision by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to join American Idol as a judge. "He's a sacred American institution of rock and roll, and he just threw it all out the window — just stomped on it and set it on fire."

Whoa.

There’s more…

"I think whoever's advising him ... we should bring back the guillotine, or whatever they call that thing," Rock added. "And if it was himself, he needs some serious counseling. I love him to death, but I gotta speak the truth."

Along with fellow judges, newcomer Jennifer Lopez and veteran Randy Jackson, Tyler joined AI on the panel for it 10th season, which hits the airwaves on January. The move is part of a plan that Steven has referred to as building “Brand Tyler.”

Let’s see what Tyler’s response will be on this one, ‘cause it’s gotta feel personal: Kid Rock inducted Aerosmith into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, referring to the Boston legends as “the greatest American rock band in history.”

One of Canada's greatest hard rock bands, Triumph, are reissuing 10 classic albums from their catalogue.

The albums – released between 1976 and 1987 - left an indelible mark on the history of rock, their legacy and influence considered among the forefathers of progressive metal.

Epitomizing the essence of the power trio: Rik Emmett (guitar and vocals), Mike Levine (bass and keyboards) and Gil Moore (drums and vocals) are regarded as virtuoso musicians in their own right and great entertainers thanks to the Triumph concert spectacle that was second-to-none.

Italy’s Frontiers Records has announced that the official reissues of Triumph’s 10 classic albums, in digipak version and with the original tracklistings, will be released on December 3.

All CDs have been remastered and feature an extensive booklet, including lyrics.

In addition, Frontiers will issue a very limited collector’s edition Box Set entitled “Diamond Collection,” which will include all the 10 albums in vinyl replica, and will feature the artwork from the original vinyl edition of the albums.

This news follows the "Greatest Hits: Remixed” package that was released earlier this year; no update on the status of the band, including possible future activity, was provided at this time.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Slash has just released “Beautiful Dangerous,” the latest video from his self-titled solo record.

The steamy clip features Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas, who heats things up with the guitarist. "She went to a dark place," Slash told Us magazine, of her portrayal of a crazed fan who ties him to a bed, kisses him and teases him with a knife - while clad in leather lingerie. "She nailed it."

“I wanted to stalk him; just a normal day at the office!” said Fergie, who came up with the concept for the video.

Fergie will receive the Woman Of The Year Award at the Billboard Women in Music Event on December 2 in New York.

"I am humbled and excited to accept the Billboard Woman of the Year Award," Fergie says. "Being honored by Billboard is a great career achievement."

Fergie and BEP spent the past year touring the world in support of their 2009 album, "The E.N.D." BEP own the longest streak of consecutive weeks spent at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart by any artist in the chart's 52-year history, with 2009 singles "Boom Boom Pow" reigning for 12 weeks and "I Gotta Feeling" for 14. In addition, "I Gotta Feeling" is the best-selling digital song in Nielsen SoundScan history.

"The E.N.D." is first album in two decades by a group to yield five top 10 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. The album has sold 2.8 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.

On November 30, the BEP will release "The Beginning," their sixth album and an aptly-titled follow-up to "The E.N.D." The album's first single is "The Time (The Dirty Bit)," which will be released November 9.

"Fergie took the music industry by storm the moment she came onto the scene, and we're thrilled to celebrate her career achievements and incredible successes over the past year by honoring her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award," says Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director. "Fergie is a unique artist with great business savvy, style and an unbelievable dedication to philanthropic efforts, making her an inspiration to aspiring female artists everywhere."

Huey Lewis & The News are back with their first new album in nine years,“Soulsville,” which is out next Tuesday (although it’s already been released in the UK).

Recorded at the historic Ardent Studios in Memphis, the album features 14 classic songs from the vault of Stax Records, including “Respect Yourself” and “Got To Get You Off My Mind.”

Considered to be the preeminent soul music label in America, Stax was home to artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & The MG’s, and Isaac Hayes, and produced an astounding number of hit records throughout the 1960’s & 70’s. Paying tribute to the rich Stax legacy, Huey Lewis and The News, joined by their long time horn section, capture the energy and excitement of this important era.

'Soulsville' re-unites Huey Lewis and the News with co-producer Jim Gaines ("Sports," "Fore!") who worked at the Stax studios as a young man and was involved in many of the label's original recordings.

“We’re especially proud of the collection,” says Lewis, who has been previewing material from the album while on a critically acclaimed summer tour. “There should be a number of surprises for everyone.”

Huey Lewis & The News – Soulsville EPK (2010)

Formed from two rival Bay Area bands in 1979, Huey Lewis and The News play a brand of straight-ahead rock and roll that has outlasted countless trends, selling over 20 million albums and earning Grammy Awards along the way. The group still performs around 100 shows a year. Lewis has enjoyed recent success on screen and stage as well, acting on the hit television show “Hot in Cleveland,” and performing in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Chicago.”

Huey stopped by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday and sat in with The Roots to do a version of one of his biggest 80s hits.
Huey Lewis & The Roots – The Heart Of Rock N’ Roll
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – October 26, 2010

“The Top 100 Best Australian Albums” is a new book by three Aussie music industry vets: Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson, two of Australia's most respected rock journalists, and John O'Donnell, the record industry head who signed Silverchair.

Covering music from the past 50 years, it’s reportedly the first time a list like this has made it into book form.

"Toby and I have been having this argument between ourselves for 22 years," O’Donnell told the Sydney Morning Herald. "And Craig joined in on the argument about 15 years ago. We just thought it was time we shared it with everyone else.”

"I think Australian contemporary music deserves to be celebrated more than it has been. I think we have a body of work that warrants it," O'Donnell told The Age."One thing I would say about lists," added Creswell, “is that they are moveable and plastic feasts. This isn't Moses coming down with 10 commandments, it's three music fans. Having said that, I think we paid our dues and these are informed opinions."

So, how does it shape up?

Naturally, like all countries, there are artists who made an impact at home but never really caught on abroad; this explains the bands you’ve never heard of…but don’t let that turn you off looking into them further, because you might find something you like.

In terms of international status, Midnight Oil comes in the top spot with 1988’s “Diesel and Dust,” which produced “Beds Are Burning,” “The Dead Heart” and “Dreamworld,” among others.

"When I was 14, I didn't know what was going on with Midnight Oil's "10 to 1" but it was apparent a lot of switches had been tripped in my brain," says Mathieson. “People often spoke of Australia being an alien place and that album is alien as well. Is it more Australian now? I think so."

O'Donnell agrees but adds: “I really don't think it matters. I can argue that the Avalanches' "Since I Left You" could have come from anywhere on this planet, or more precisely nowhere on this planet. And I don't think Sarah Blasko's album "As Day Follows Night" (#19) comes from anywhere other than her heart.”

International superstars AC/DC hit #2 with “Back In Black,”while “Highway To Hell” shows up in 50th spot.

Beyond that, you can expect multiple entries from big names like INXS (11,56) and Crowded House (3, 71), as well as doubles from Cold Chisel (4, 53), You Am I (8, 55), the Go-Betweens (12, 87), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (26, 83), Paul Kelly (7, 66), the Saints (20, 41), and The Church (33, 77).

My Aussie faves, The Hoodoo Gurus, show up twice…with their 1983 debut, “Stoneage Romeos” at #28, and the follow-up, 1985’s “Mars Need Guitars” at #60. I recommend any Gurus to anyone at anytime, and have since I first played them in college radio, when those albums were new releases.